National Park Mystery Plant 5: Admire the Flowers, but for Goodness Sake, Don’t Eat the Berries!
Do you like to pick berries along the trail so you can enjoy a tasty treat? Well, if you nibble this plant’s berries, you’ll wish you hadn’t.
Reader Participation Day: Are Our National Parks Losing Their Relevancy?
Have our national parks lost their relevancy? I raise that question because on one hand we saw an upwelling of interest last fall when The National Parks: America's Best Idea, riveted many to their televisions for six consecutive nights, and yet on the other hand National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis shortly after he was appointed cited a need to prevent the parks from becoming irrelevant.
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 6th, 2010 4:03am
40 Below In Yellowstone National Park! What Was I Thinking?
What can you do in Yellowstone National Park when the wind-chill is pushing the "feels like" temperature towards 40 below? I'm not sure, but I'll figure it out Thursday when I find myself at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 6th, 2010 3:52am
2009 Visitation To Yellowstone National Park Reached Record Levels
Despite one of the worst economies in recent memory, visitors flocked to Yellowstone National Park in 2009. In fact, the year was a record breaker, with nearly 3.3 million visitors passing through the park's gates.
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 6th, 2010 3:47am
New Book Looks At Canal System That Powered 19th Century Lowell, Massachusetts
A new book has arrived that delves into the unique canal system that powered 19th Century Lowell, Massachusetts' industrial sector. What does that have to do with national parks? If you're familiar with the Lowell National Historical Park, you know the answer to that question.
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 6th, 2010 3:41am
Rental Cabins Available at Cape Lookout National Seashore For Spring, Summer and Fall '10
Pounding surf to wake you, and to help you fall asleep. A quick dash into the breakers to wash the sleep from your system. Fresh sea breezes. What more do you need to consider before renting a cabin on Cape Lookout National Seashore for a vacation this coming year?
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 5th, 2010 3:59am
Beach Driving Ban Brings Fort Matanzas National Monument into Compliance, But Angers Matanzas Beach Users
Legally speaking, the beach driving ban that went into effect at Florida’s Fort Matanzas on January 1st was nearly 37 years overdue. Still, many area residents worry about its impacts on recreation and tourism.
2009 in Review: Creature Features – Burros, Pythons, Salamanders, Etc.
Traveler's creature features have proved very popular. Here’s the list, with the links.
- By Bob Janiskee - January 5th, 2010 3:45am
Ruling Could Set Back Wind Farm Proposed For Nantucket Sound
"Clean energy" and cultural values are colliding not far from Cape Cod National Seashore in Nantucket Sound, where a proposal to erect a wind farm was handed a potential setback Monday when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pointed to a determination that the Sound is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
- By Kurt Repanshek - January 4th, 2010 5:24pm
Whoa! Did I Read That Right? Double-Take Posts of 2009
Finicky bears, addled boaters, a cannon that was, a cannonball that wasn’t. In 2009, these and other outside-the-box stories reminded us that you just never know what you’re going to run into – or what might run into you -- in America’s national parks.
- By Bob Janiskee - January 4th, 2010 3:57am
